Customized Front Skid Plate

1) Big shout to Edrin55 and w8n4mud on their thread about Line-X'ing the front skid plate. Awesome idea.
2) I am by no means talented, handy, nor am I an artist. Im sure 99% of you could do this better than I just did.
3) I didnt measure, sketch, think, etc. I just started and finished...so dont nail me for the imperfections.

So I wanted to redo my OEM Front Skid Plate because I really didnt think the Aluminum worked well with my white Tacoma. I wanted it to be black, but the black almost disguised it underneath, and I really like the look of the skid as much as I like the functionality.

At first I did a spraypaint of rubberized undercoating. I did a terrible job and it looked like crap, so I powerwashed it off (with the help of some graffiti remover) and started from scratch. I figured if I did a stencil and spraypainted that the paint would be all over and how would I hold down a stencil over the Line-X? Meh...do 'er by hand.

First I had my local Line-X guy spray the face side on his suggestion. He suggested I just spraypaint the back with a good black paint that would last the elements.



Next I cut out a stencil I had done of the TRD and laid it out where I wanted it. I decided to spread out the letters a little so its not exactly like the true logo. Dont care. I also didnt measure, tape, etc. so its probably not perfect when it comes to level, spacing, etc. Meh. Its Line-X...if I dont like the paint, some stripper will take it right off without harming the coat.







Then I used a sharpie to trace around the letters. This worked twofold...since the ink would leak onto the stencil, I knew where I had already outlined so I didnt have to go in order. With a small brush I used some modeling paint to do the lettering outlines...






Then on to do all the letters...





And on the truck for a test look. The white is more pronounced in person. Its almost hard to see in the pics.








I havent decided If I will fill the letters in (original intention) as I kind of like the hollowed out look. If I were a more patient man, Id also add the "Toyota Racing Development" or maybe "Off Road" but the cutting of the stencils would take more time than I care to invest at this point.

Sorry I dont pics of it installed yet...I just finished this like 10 minutes ago lol. The whole project took maybe a half hour. Hope you like!

UPDATE....filled in letters...

 

Nice write up. Thanks! Looks killer

 

Looks good.

 

Pretty simple. Ive got a pad in front of me trying to decide if I should add more to it.

 

Hhmmmm....I just might do that next....Very nice!! How much was the line-x??

 

Added some pics of it on the truck. Its far more pronounced in person. Cant decide if I should fill in the letters, leave it be, add more stuff...

 

I say fill them in.....

 

Finally filled in the letters. Looks much better I think. Now what to do next...







...and another new addition (matching Red Wings badge on the other side)

 

are you in the WOkole Seat Covers feeler??.......I'm not to expensive for me right know

 

Yeah Im in. I plan to drive this truck into the ground, and between being in the gym every morning, having a daughter, living in the midwest, etc. it seems like a worthy investment. F'n spendy...but an investment nonetheless.

 

Dude....you are more than welcome. Thats why TW is here, to help other members and owners of Tacomas. But damn.... your skid plate looks awesome. Im jealous now.... Wanna come to CA and paint my TRD letters? Great job...

 

Great job! That was a good idea to fill in the letters...looks awesome!

 

Its incredibly easy man...I am a no talent assclown when it comes to artistic projects. Here is what I did:

1. Looked up TRD decal online and literally traced it onto white paper (put the paper on the computer screen)
2. Cut out letters
3. Traced and painted as described above.

Easy peasy. Im sure many could do a much cooler design than I did.

 

Looks good bro. Great move filling in the letters. I'm going to do the BHLM mod first then this. The line-x idea was great!

 

Looking good, i love that line-x look for the skid plate. Good write up!

 

Nice work! We are now planning something similar. We'll keep you posted.
Oh and you're welcome!

 

Nice! The nice thing is, with the Line-X on there if you dont like your paint work it comes off extremely easy and you can start over. Im already sketching some more dynamic ideas. Keep me posted on your work!